Closer to my Heart
by gman620
Summary: Chihiro doesn't seem to recall her time in the Spirit World or how she lost 3 days off of her life. Will she be helped by the spirits to regain her memory and reunite with Haku as promised?
1. Chapter 1

Chihiro watched as the car pulled away from the strange tunnel entrance in the woods. It was so odd, that old tunnel. As Chihiro looked back at it, she felt a strange feeling of deja vu. She dismissed it, and not thinking about where she had been while on the other side of the tunnel, looked forward confidently toward her new house on the hill.

As all three of them pulled into their driveway, a look of shock spread over Yuuko and Akio's faces. "What's going on? Where are the movers?" Chihiro looked over at her house to find all of their old things spread out on the back porch, nothing being moved inside. "They were supposed to wait for us to arrive so we'd tell them where to put everything." Akio said angrily. "We shouldn't have stopped, I told you." Yuuko sighed. Chihiro got out of the car and went up into her new home with her parents. The house was large, with a cozy living room and a kitchen toward the back of the house. Chihiro walked through the house, examining it thoroughly. "So this is my new home?" She asked herself slowly. Chihiro looked up at the recently unpacked clock. It was about 5 PM. Hadn't they left around 10 AM?

Later that evening, once they had gotten everything settled in, Yuuko and Akio watched the news in their new living room while Chihiro went up to her new room. Her parents had helped her unpack everything, and her room was a quaint lavender color. She smiled, liking her new surroundings more than she had expected. "I guess it's not so bad after all." She said to herself. Chihiro flung herself onto her bed and yanked off her hairband, not looking at it as she threw it onto her dresser. She felt tired for some reason, very tired, like she hadn't slept in a day or two. The purple band sparkled.

"WHAT!" Akio bellowed throughout the house. Chihiro got up and ran downstairs to see what happened. "Yuuko, this can't be! What's going on?" He continued to rant. Her mother stood in front of the TV, her jaw drooping. "That's it for the evening news for May 31st, 2001..." The reporter said. "It's May 28th for God' sake! Look at my watch!" Akio said, his face turning white. Yuuko looked at his watch, and it was indeed said the 28th, not the 31st. "I remember leaving our old apartment this morning. We couldn't have spent 3 days traveling..." Yuuko protested. Chihiro was puzzled as well. "It's like we just lost 3 days off of our lives..." She could hear Akio saying in the background of her thoughts. Chihiro didn't get it either.


	2. Chapter 2

1DISCLAIMER: I do not own Spirited Away. That honor belongs to Hayao Miyazaki.

In the Spirit World, a lonely dragon boy was in anguish. Haku had remained fixed at the edge of the field where he let Chihiro leave, staring down at his sandals. He didn't bother going back to Yubaba to inform her of his resignation. Her baby Boh had probably told her about how Chihiro released him from Yubaba's control by helping him remember his name. Why even bother going back? All he could think about was Chihiro.

FLASHBACK

"_Will we meet again sometime?" Chihiro asked innocently, her brown hair swaying in the breeze. "Sure we will." Haku reassured her, holding her hand in his. "Promise?" She asked, a look of longing in her eyes. "Promise. Now go, and don't look back." Haku said, releasing her. His hand fell, and Chihiro was gone. She was gone._

END FLASHBACK

Haku had promised her they'd be reunited, but when and how? These two questions ran through his mind over and over. Haku never let himself feel it, but he was in love. He knew that letting Chihiro go with her family was the right, honorable thing to do. A girl that young needed to be with her parents to be nurtured. Haku paced back and forth over the grass. "So what now? Do I crawl up to Chihiro on hand and knee and beg her to come back? Do I tell her I love her? She's a 10-year old human; she probably doesn't even know what love is...at least not romantic love..." Haku said to himself. But Haku remembered that in ancient Japan, as well as many human cultures, marriages and such occurred at young ages. Who could he go to? Yubaba certainly wouldn't help him even if she could, which he doubted. Perhaps one of the more powerful spirits? Maybe. Haku racked his mind for options, and finally there was only one thing that might just stand a chance at working, only one who might have the answers. Haku stood up, and transformed into his dragon form. He flew to Swamp Bottom, the only place he could think to go.

No-Face continued to knit inside for Zaneba, while she swept the outside of her rustic cottage. No-Face was a wonderful little helper, but the poor thing had no family to go home to. "Good thing I took him in, the poor spirit..." Zaneba thought to herself as she swept. Someday the two of them would have to go on a journey and figure out his origins. As she swept, a small peace of purple felt got stuck in her broom. Zaneba recognized it as the material she used to make Chihiro's hair band. "Chihiro should be settling into her new home by now. I can't imagine how furious that sister of mine must be..." She thought to herself, chuckling at the thought of an angry Yubaba. "Ah! Ah! AHH!" No-Face said excitedly, exiting the cottage with his yarn and pointing to the sky. Zaneba smiled to herself. She knew well who was headed her way. "I'm surprised it took him this long to realize how much he needs Chihiro." Zaneba said to herself, seeing the white dragon in the distance. "No-Face, why don't you go make some tea for our visitor? I have a feeling he'll be needing it." She said, a look of concern coming over her aged face when she sense intense emotions in the dragon spirit.

Within minutes, Haku landed and assumed his human form. Zaneba stood outside, waiting to greet him. It was turning dark outside by now, but was just light enough to still see where you were going. "Haku, you're back so soon?" Zaneba said mildly, not wanting to set off too many emotions in what was clearly a disturbed dragon. "Madam, I must talk to you." Haku said, breathing heavily. It was a long flight after all. "My name is Zaneba. You can be informal with me. I've told you that I forgive you for stealing my seal. Upon reflecting further, I understand why you did it. I know why you're here Haku. The sooner we talk the better." Zaneba said sincerely, skipping the small talk, which was fine with Haku. This was serious after all.

"SHE REMEMBERS NOTHING?" Haku screamed, leaping up from the chair he was sitting in. Zaneba paused, and asked him to sit back down politely. Haku sat, but began to sink deeper into despair. First, Zaneba had told him that humans don't consciously remember the Spirit World after being in it. "Chihiro is human, so she won't consciously remember. But Haku, once you meet someone you never really forget them. It just takes a while for memories to return." Zaneba said smiling, remembering how she told Chihiro the same. "But it's still not the same!" Haku protested. "She may only remember bits and pieces, but never the whole experience. The only way she could is if a higher spirit somehow protected her memories. I wasn't old or powerful enough to do that..." Haku said, a tear forming in his eye. Not only was Chihiro gone, but she wouldn't even remember him. Zaneba smiled. "No, you aren't old or powerful enough...but I am..." She said mysteriously, her heart soaring. Haku looked up at her, his eyes glistening. Hope appeared in them. "Zaneba, did you..." Haku began to ask, but she held up her hand. "I can't say anymore than that Haku. Remember the rules. We must all adhere to them. At any rate, we need to focus on more practical issues." Zaneba said, sipping some tea slowly. Haku thought to himself. "YES! There's a chance she might remember!" Hope was beginning to resurface, but problems still remained. "You still have to think about getting to her, and if she's at the maturity level to even have such a relationship with you." Zaneba said, eyeing Haku. Haku stared back. He didn't tell Zaneba he was in love with Chihiro, only that he wanted to get back to her. "Oh honestly Haku! Did you think I didn't see it? Only PURE love, and not necessarily friendship-type, could break my protective spell on my seal. The love that broke that spell has to be so strong that it goes beyond space and time or physical attractions." Zaneba said, giving a spellbound Haku a chance to take it all in. "Is she really in love with me too? Could it ever be more than a close friendship?" He wondered. Zaneba sensed his thoughts. "I can't say for sure Haku. Little humans don't mature in THAT way until they reach about 14 or 15 human years of age. In the human world it'd still be another 4-5 years before most humans could understand or have the capacity to decide to enter such a relationship. And even then, some humans would wait until they were married." Zaneba rightly pointed out. There was the problem. Haku didn't know what to do, but he knew he would never ask Chihiro to do something that she wasn't ready to do. "Then I'll wait! I'll wait until she matures, and assuming she remembers, then I'll make my way to her. Besides, in that time I could start rebuilding what's left of my river, or perhaps find an unoccupied one." Haku resolved, his mind set. "Of course, I should point out that Chihiro's human maturity level skyrocketed during her time here. She was forced to grow up faster than most humans, so that's a good sign. I know that some human couples were together since childhood, and eventually married and started the kind of relationship that was on your mind, once both were mature that is." Zaneba said, thinking to herself, recalling Chihiro's story about her arrival in the Spirit World and her knowledge of humans. There was still the issue of getting to Chihiro, and waiting 4-5 years didn't seem fun either. But he knew then and there that he'd do whatever it took to be with Chihiro. Just to hold her in his arms and be with her forever would be all he'd ever want. Zaneba looked up at her clock. "I think it's time to sleep on this for a while. No-Face, prepare a bed for Haku. I doubt my sister will be welcoming him back..."


	3. Chapter 3

1DISCLAIMER: I don't own Spirited Away

Chihiro felt sunshine hitting her face. She yawned from under her covers, rubbing her eyes. Sunlight was streaming in through her small window on the opposite end of her room. She didn't bother to look at her clock since it was still summer vacation even with the 3 days gone. She lay back in bed, looking up at the ceiling fan. She had just awoken from an odd dream. It had something to do with...baths...and something else... But like many dreams, she just couldn't remember all of the details.

When she got downstairs, her parents were sitting to breakfast. Yuuko cooked eggs while Akio greedily gobbled up pancakes and toast. "I swear Akio, soon you'll turn into a pig!"Yuuko scolded him for his gluttony. Chihiro stepped into the kitchen.

"So you finally woke up, eh sweetheart?" Her father asked through his stuffed mouth.

"Did you sleep well dear?" Yuuko asked, wondering how her daughter had done in their first night at their new home.

"Yes, I did fine." She said, still trying to remember the bits and pieces of her dream, to no avail. Chihiro sat down to the eggs her mother had cooked. "Mom, Dad, I had a dream last night but I can't remember most of it. Does that happen to you?" She asked.

"Sure, all the time. If it was an important dream, it will come back to you soon enough." Her mother said, gulping down the rest of her glass of milk. Chihiro had the strangest feelings within her. It felt like something very important had happened over the past few days of her life, and that the dream had something to do with it. "Why don't you go play outside honey? Maybe that will jog your memories?" Yuuko suggested.

"Yea!" Akio said as he continued to stuff pancakes down his massive throat.

"Now that's an esophagus!" Chihiro thought to herself!

IN THE SPIRIT WORLD

Haku lay on one of Zaneba's cots, his knees brought up to his chest. "Thank God Chihiro isn't here to see me like this." He said to himself. Outside the sun was slowly rising, but time had stood still in Haku's mind. "What will I do? I love her, I'm sure of it. I'd do anything to get back to her, to have her holding my hand even if for a moment." He thought to himself. He heard a tea pot rattling in the kitchen. "Zaneba must be up, or that odd spirit..." Haku wondered out loud. Haku got out of bed and entered the kitchen. Zaneba sat at her table eating some pound cake, while No-Face stayed at the kettle. He could make a nice cup of tea when the occasion called for it. "I see you're up. Sleep well?" Zaneba asked, although she figured he wouldn't sleep much.

It didn't take Zaneba that long to know that Haku was madly, blindly in love. How he managed to repress it in front of Chihiro was beyond her understanding. She could do some things to help Haku get to his beloved Chihiro, but beyond that, humans were difficult to understand. They claim to believe in spirits and yet they drove Haku away from his cherished home, never caring about the consequences. Of course, her little Chihiro wasn't like that, but she knew Haku would always be in danger if he took another river in the human world. He could bring Chihiro to the Spirit World permanently of course, but that would be her decision. If she chose it though, she might age faster and Haku could have his wish sooner. Still, it would be much easier on Chihiro not to have to leave her human home too quickly. It'd be better for Haku to establish a foothold in the human world and try to reconnect with Chihiro in that way.

"Haku, have you ever decided to try to reconstruct a river in the human world or find an unoccupied one?" Zaneba asked thoughtfully.

"There are no unoccupied rivers that I know of. My old river is beyond repair." Haku said, his eyes sinking. Suddenly, he had a thought. "But I could create a river!" He said, jumping up. In fact, it could work well. With a new river, he could then be in the human world and it would be easier for Chihiro to be with him if and once she remembered.

Zaneba smiled, sipping her tea. "I know an old river spirit who dwells near Chihiro. He might let you create a small brook or creek off of his river. Why don't you stay here today and help No-Face with the chores? I can go pay my old river friend a visit and see what I can do." Zaneba said, getting up as if it was settled. Before Haku had a chance to fall on his knees in profuse thanks, Zaneba was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

1In the human world, Zaneba appeared at the edge of a good sized river. It was slow flowing, and beautiful to look at. Zaneba had a small traveling cloak wrapped around her, not wanting to arouse the suspicions of any humans. Several small trees lined the river, which flowed into the horizon. Zaneba stood at the edge, memories welling up inside of her.

"Well here's a face I haven't seen in years." A deep voice said from the river. On the river's edge, a plume of water flew up and arranged itself in the form of an aged man. He had graying hair, brown eyes and a tough look to him. He was dressed elegantly, as a river god of that stature would be.

"Hello Tokugawa." Zaneba said slowly, sizing her friend up.

"Zaneba-san, it's been too long." The aged spirit croaked.

"Human pollution has aged him more than I thought it might." She thought to herself sadly.

Sensing her thoughts, Tokugawa shuddered at them. "Yes, humans do have a tendency not to respect us the way they used to, but no matter." He said sadly.

Zaneba cleared her throat. "I need a favor Tokugawa. I have a displaced river spirit who needs to create a river of his own. I'd like to ask you if he can create one off of your river." She said, seeing the skepticism in his eyes.

"Why the need to be here? He isn't happy in the Spirit World?" The old spirit asked, while conjuring up a walking stick to support his frail human form.

At this, Zaneba sat down on a nearby rock. "Do you remember how recently your brother was so polluted that he finally had to go to my sister Yubaba's bathhouse in the Spirit World?" She asked.

"How could I forget?" Tokugawa said angrily, recalling the ruthless pollution that the humans wreaked on his dear brother's river. "

"Tokugawa, one of the workers there tended to him. She was a little human girl that was lost in our world by accident. She managed to return here to the human world about 2 or 3 days ago and doesn't live far from here, right near one of our entrances in fact. Her name is Chihiro Ogino, known in the Spirit World as Sen."

Tokugawa's eyes flashed excitedly. "Yes, he raved about that little girl and how she helped clean him up and..." Tokugawa stopped, sensing where this was going. "Oh for heaven's sake Zaneba, you want me to give a young river spirit a river so he can see his human lover more often?" He said, visibly unhappy. "No. I want you to give a young dragon spirit something that humans took away from him. You know what it's like to lose your purity to humans. This young spirit's was totally lost. And they are not lovers yet, but they have a definite bond between them." She said lovingly, recalling her Chihiro and her "dragon boyfriend" as she put it.. Tokugawa sat down on a rock next to Zaneba.

"I can certainly make an arm off of my river, closer to where the girl lives perhaps, but it will take much of my strength. If this dragon spirit can do most of the physical labor, I'll handle the magical part. Just tell me where she lives." The spirit reluctantly agreed. Zaneba beamed down on him. She knew it had been hard for him, living in the world where no one respected you, even the ones that you provided fish and water for. "He ought to ask his lady friend to shoulder some of the burden, if she worked as hard as my brother told me." Tokugawa said in an afterthought.

Zaneba waved her hands in the air and a map of the local area appeared in front of them. "If he could start building his river off of this bank and maybe connect it to the valley river below Chihiro's house, it'd be fine!" Zaneba said as she followed the map meticulously. "Then it's settled." Tokugawa groaned as he stood up slowly. "I'll inform my nymphs to allow him to begin work whenever he wants to start. I'll also use some magic to weaken that part of my river so it'll be easier to work with." Zaneba ran up to him and embraced him. "I knew you'd come through for my Toku gawa my friend. I never forgot you, and I hope you know you are welcome at my home whenever you like." She said, a small tear rolling down her eye. Wiping the tear, Tokugawa stood up and said "be at peace my dear woman. You lent a listening ear when I was in the most need. You recommended me to the bathhouse when I needed a cleaning. You've always opened your home to me when I've been in the Spirit World. No my friend, I'd never forget you." He said, planting a kiss on her cheek. Zaneba blushed, and waved as she soared off into the sky, and back to the Spirit World. A lonely dragon was waiting for her.


	5. Chapter 5

IN THE SPIRIT WORLD

Haku took some boiled corn from a dish that No-Face provided. "Ah, ah…" No-Face grunted, which probably translated as "I hope you like my culinary accomplishment, dragon boy."

Haku chewed on the corn, thinking to himself. "I wonder how Zaneba made out with her friend. I never even knew she knew any spirits in the human world, or that she could even go there at will. She's powerful indeed…"

No-Face stepped outside with a hoe in his hand, no doubt getting ready to plant more corn. While Haku was mulling over Zaneba's success, No-Face began to become excited. "AH, AH, AHHHH…" He shouted at Haku from the outside. Haku ran out to see what the strange spirit was up to, when Zaneba appeared from the sky. Haku spit out his corn.

"You're back! How did it go? Can I see Chihiro now? Do I get my own river? Can I…" Haku poured out a torrent of questions.

"Haku, give an old witch a moment to breathe!" Zaneba said, catching her breath from the long flight back. "Let's go inside the house and talk about it over tea." She said, briefly greeting No-Face and brushing off her traveling cloak. "This one will take off the minute I tell him it was successful." She thought to herself as Haku opened the door for her.

"Well it was successful. He'll let you build a river, but it will take time Haku." Zaneba said as she sipped her tea. Haku smoothed out a wrinkle in his shirt, as if wanting to look his best. "Going now eh?" Zaneba laughed, her feelings confirmed.

"Zaneba, what do you think? Do you think I should take the chance? I can build a river, create a new home for myself in the human world, but what good is it if I don't know if it will work with Chihiro?" Haku asked concernedly.

Zaneba put down her tea. "Haku, this is in your hands now. I cannot read minds, even if it seems like I can. If it's meant to be, it will be. Whatever choice you make, be sure remember what I told you when you left with Chihiro. You must take care of her." Zaneba said firmly but kindly. "And that means respecting her and her decisions. I know you're a feisty young dragon, but you are still bound by our world's rules and Chihiro's. Love will take time, remember that."

Haku looked into Zaneba's eyes. "You know I can never thank you enough for what you've done for Chihiro and I." Haku said, wishing he knew how to thank someone a million times in one breath. She smiled, looking down on what would be the perfect mate for Chihiro.

Haku soared through the sky, approaching the gateway to the human world. "I'm coming Chihiro. I'm coming…" Haku whispered to himself, his dragon form flying through the entrance to the old tunnel.

IN THE HUMAN WORLD

Chihiro went back inside her house to get her sunglasses out of her bedroom. She decided to go outside like her parents suggested. Akio had already begun his new job as the foreman of a major construction company, so he was gone for the day. Chihiro wondered where he was working and what he was working on as she walked into her brightly lit room. Yuuko still needed to find a job, but was content in her traditional role as a Japanese housewife for the time being as she cleaned their new kitchen.

"Honey don't forget your hair band!" Yuuko called into Chihiro's room.

"Sure Mom." Chihiro said absent-mindedly as she looked for her sunglasses. She found them on her dresser and quickly grabbed her purple hair band, winding it around her hair as she ran downstairs and out the door. "Be back for lunch at noon…" Her mother's voice called faintly. Chihiro walked down the grassy hill toward the road at the bottom. She could've gone down her street and tried to meet some new friends, maybe some neighbors too, but didn't feel like it. Instead, she figured she'd take a look around, seeing what the area was like. She came upon the old shrines her mother had explained to her. The wind began to pick up, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

"Weird." Chihiro thought. The wind began to push her, gently but firmly, in the direction of the road, which Chihiro now recognized as the road that her parents had gotten them lost on and ended up at that strange tunnel. A strange feeling of curiosity formed within her, and she began to walk down the road, her hair swaying in the wind. Within minutes she reached the old tunnel and stared at it.

Her mind felt like it was jumping up and down. The wind was now so strong that it was beginning to rip her hair band off. Chihiro reached into her hair and grabbed it. It caught her eye as it gleamed in the sunlight. The wind died down. Chihiro looked at it, noticing something. "This isn't my hairband, is it? No, mine was pink. This is purple, but it looks so…familiar." Chihiro said out loud. She stared into the sparkly band. It was so beautiful. "It will protect you. It's made from the threads your friends wove together." A voice echoed in her mind, as if from a distant dream. At that exact moment, it all came back to her.

The spirit world, her parents turning into pigs, Yubaba, No-Face, Kamaji, Lin, Bou, Zaneba, and all the others, especially Haku. She remembered his beautiful dragon form, and his handsome human form. She remembered how he helped her, how he cared so much about her. He helped protect her from Yubaba, gave her strength back when she was weak, and then she recalled how she helped him remember who he was. Tears streamed down her face. "I almost forgot. I almost lost them. I have to get back to them. I have to…" But Chihiro didn't get to finish that thought. A white and green blur flew out of the tunnel, crashing into Chihiro.

"Oww!" Chihiro shreaked, rubbing her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry…" Haku said, picking up the little human, when he suddenly realized who he was holding. His mouth dropped and Chihiro looked up into the eyes she now remembered, the eyes she loved.

"Haku…" She whispered.

"Chihiro, I've…missed…" Haku began, before breaking down and burying his face in her shoulder. He was finally with her, and she remembered! "Oh thank God. I've been so alone." Haku whispered. He knew now how much in love he was with her. He never admitted it to himself while she was with him. Yubaba's controls on him probably had a hand in that. But he was with her now. What else mattered?

Chihiro embraced him the way she had wanted to, the way she couldn't when she was in the Spirit World. "Haku, I'm so sorry. I forgot for some reason, but then I remembered. I don't get it…" She began, crying into his white tunic, feeling so guilty. Haku took her face in his hands.

"No, it wasn't your fault. But somehow you remembered. I don't know how, but…" Haku began, then saw the hair band lying beside her. He smiled, and pointed to the hair band for Chihiro. She looked at it, and remembered how Granny said it'd protect her. That must be what she meant.

"I knew she had something to do with it." Haku laughed out loud. Chihiro laughed as well. Haku took her hand, and she smiled back at him. "Come on Chihiro, we have a lot to talk about." He said, not caring about how long it took. He fulfilled his promise. They were together now.


	6. Chapter 6

1Chihiro and Haku walked down the dirt road, hand in hand. "Haku, where are we going?" Chihiro asked.

"We're going to what will soon be my new river. I made it to be with you." Haku said tenderly.

"You found a new river?" Chihiro asked, puzzled because she thought his old one was all filled in.

Haku took Chihiro off the main road and onto another small path in the woods. "Zaneba talked to a river spirit she knew somehow, and convinced him to allow me to construct a new river off of his own. It's only a small brook right now, but once I widen it with my powers, it will do just fine." Haku said hopefully. Chihiro smiled, thinking about how happy they would both be to have Haku back in her own world. She was puzzled about something though, and Haku could sense it. "What's wrong Chihiro?" He asked, placing his arm protectively around her.

"Why am I the only one that remembers? I mean, I know Zaneba somehow made me remember, but why not my parents?" Chihiro asked.

Haku paused in the dirt road. It would be tough to explain the Spirit World's rules any more than he had to, but he'd do his best, he decided. He looked her in the eye, and began his long explanation.

"When I was younger, back in the old days when humans were more religious and spiritual, some of them would come and sit by my river. They would talk about some humans experiencing what's called 'kami-kakushi.' I suppose it would mean to be 'hidden by the spirits' in our language. Humans who experienced it would disappear from the human world and spend time in the Spirit World. They would get there in various ways. Some were kidnaped by spirits living in the Spirit World, while some like you came by accident." Haku said, knowing that Chihiro wouldn't understand that well. She still looked puzzled. Haku went on.

"Inevitably, most humans would find their way back to this world, like you and your parents did thanks to your efforts. When they came back, they would have no memory of what happened. Their friends and families, or the local police, would find them totally unharmed but without any memories of their experiences. You and your parents experienced kami-kakushi. I'm sure of it. The only thing I can't say for sure is how Zaneba managed to make a spell powerful enough to break the amnesia that all humans experience when they come back. Perhaps she used her solid golden seal, or maybe something even more powerful. Regardless, you are the only human I know of that ever could remember her experiences from kami-kakushi."

Chihiro was stunned to hear this. A week ago none of this would've made any sense. A week ago she'd still be the sad, sullen little girl she was. But Chihiro was different now. "Well I'm not the same as I was before, I'm sure about that." Chihiro said confidently.

Haku looked at her, sensing great power. "Yes Chihiro, and you are a better, more mature person because of it. Zaneba did more for me than I deserved, reuniting the two of us." Haku whispered, restraining his feelings.

"Well we're together, and at some point we'll both thank her. Right now, I want to see your new river!" Chihiro said enthusiastically, trying to absorb Haku's words one at a time.

The path became rocky and narrow, and Haku lifted Chihiro over the roughest parts. While in his arms, Haku felt alive once more as he held Chihiro. Chihiro, on her end, began to feel strange. She was only 10, but she began to feel something for Haku that she had never felt for anyone else. She began to want to be close to him, physically and emotionally. She felt her heart skip a beat as she rested her head against Haku's tunic. "Wow, the sun must be strong today." Chihiro thought, neglecting the fact that they were in the shade.

"Here we are Chihiro." Haku said, stopping behind a small opening in the path ahead. Chihiro stepped forward, pushing some tree leaves out of her way. In front of her was a small brook, not more than 7 ft wide and very shallow. It flowed lazily down a hill and around several large boulders. To her right, Chihiro saw several beautiful cherry blossoms. "They're beautiful." Chihiro whispered.

Haku smiled. "I knew you'd like it."

On the other side of the stream there was a large embankment with several large boulders covering it. Haku pointed to the embankment.

"In those boulders there's a small entry to my temporary home. A dragon needs a cool place to sleep at night, after all." Haku said.

"Wait a minute, do you actually sleep under the river?" She asked, spellbound.

"Eventually I will, but until I'm finished, no. I just sleep under the embankment. I'll take you in later if you want." Haku offered. Suddenly Chihiro remembered something.

"Oh no, Haku, I need to be home for lunch. My mother will kill me!" Chihiro cried, taking her eyes off the cherry blossoms and looking back toward the path.

"Don't worry Chihiro. We'll get there in no time. Just give me the directions as we run and I can get you there." Haku said, grabbing her hand and doing that crazy speed-run he did when they first met in the Spirit World. As soon as Chihiro told him the directions, they were back on the dirt road and heading up the hill to Chihiro's new house. Haku and Chihiro stopped in her backyard. "OK Chihiro, should I leave you here?" He asked.

Chihiro caught her breath, and looked at him. He was so sweet with his cute little outfit and his dazzling eyes. She couldn't resist, and smiled evilly. "Hey Mom! Come out and meet my new friend!" She screamed into the house.

Haku's face turned ghostly-white. "No Chihiro, I can't possibly..." He began to stammer.

"What? You don't wanna meet my Mom? Hey if she's like me she'll love you." Chihiro said, taking his hand and laughing.

Haku frowned. "But I don't want to make a bad impression. I look human, but what if they can tell I'm not? Besides they may not even like me." Haku said, his eyes down to the ground.

"Of course they will. Just don't tell them about what happened in the Spirit World since they don't remember. Despite your outfit, they'll just think you're coming from a costume party." Chihiro insisted. She knew Haku might be nervous, but she wanted him in her life again and her parents were a part of her life, so why not take the opportunity? Chihiro felt a strange impulse. She reached up and pushed Haku's windswept hair back. Haku blushed.

"Much better," Chihiro thought as her mother opened the screen door.

"Chihiro, you're back so soon? Oh, and you have a new friend already!" Yuuko said, eyeing the two of them standing together hand in hand. Yuuko wasn't the type to let it show, but she smiled deep within herself. She was happy to see that Chihiro had already made a new friend. Chihiro had changed somehow, Yuuko thought. She seemed more...confident? Yuuko shook her head. Her little girl was growing up faster than she could imagine. Although, something was odd about her new little friend. Yuuko did not want to judge by appearances, but his outfit seemed almost...ancient. Yuuko's father was a history buff, and she could've sworn that Chihiro's friend's clothes were from a feudal era. "Must be a costume party..." Yuuko thought to herself.

"Mom, I'd like you to meet Kohaku." Chihiro said, with Haku raising his eyebrows at the mention of his true name.

Haku bowed deeply. "It's an honor to meet you Mrs. Ogino." He said calmly.

Yuuko smiled at Chihiro, who was anxiously awaiting her mother's response. "The pleasure's all mine. Well, why not stay for lunch? I was just making some dumplings." Yuuko said to him.

Haku and Chihiro stepped into the house. Haku looked all around him in bewilderment. Humans did have incredible ingenuity when it came to building homes. He felt disappointed, wishing he could create something just as elegant for Chihiro if and when she became his.

Yuuko left the dumplings on the kitchen table for both of them. Chihiro was very hungry and gobbled hers up, but Haku took careful bites, not wanting to appear gluttonous in front of Chihiro. Chihiro noticed this, and laughed. "Come on Haku, don't starve yourself for me. If you're gonna live in the human world you've gotta learn to get used to how we eat." She reminded him. Haku laughed at the thought of seeing Yubaba's reaction to any of the workers eating like that in front of the customers.

Everything had happened so fast in Haku's mind. He had found Chihiro, or she'd found him. She remembered him thanks to Zaneba, and got a river started thanks to her as well. His dreams had come true very quickly, yet a bad feeling remained within him. He wanted to take Chihiro off with him to his river, to live with her as her husband forever and ever, but obviously he couldn't do that now. Still, he felt a bond growing with Chihiro. Like all relationships, it would take time.

Chihiro and Haku finished eating, and Yuuko stepped outside to get the mail. "Come with me Haku, I'll show you what a human bedroom looks like. It's not that much different from the Spirit World." Chihiro said, taking his hand excitedly. Once they arrived in her room, Haku looked around at the neatly decorated "sleeping place" as some in the Spirit World called a bedroom. Chihiro saw him as he took in every detail, not wanting to miss a thing. Haku wanted to stay, but he knew that he needed to continue working on his river.

"Chihiro, I have to keep working on the river. The sooner it's done, the sooner I can make a permanent home for myself again." Haku said. For a split second he saw what looked like triumph flash in Chihiro's eyes.

"Yes, I understand. But Haku, why not let me help? Is there anything I can do?" Chihiro offered, wanting to help Haku as much as she could. Haku thought for a minute.

"Well it's pretty isolated, so I don't think any humans would be in the area. I have an idea though. If you want, you could help tend to the flowers and plants around the river. They'll need to be protected as I deepen and widen the river." Haku said, running through the list of things he needed to think about.

"Sure. Do you want me to come tomorrow?" Chihiro asked, taking off her hairband and putting it on the nightstand.

"That would be great. I'll see you tomorrow then, but can I ask you a favor Chihiro?" Haku asked, frowning at the thought of what he'd have to ask Chihiro.

"Sure, what's wrong?" Chihiro asked, noting the look of distress.

"Come with me back to the river right now. I forgot the way. I haven't been in this area for 7 or 8 years now!"

Chihiro giggled. It was good to have him back.


	7. Chapter 7

It had been several weeks since Haku began working on his river. Chihiro had started school, and although the work load had increased substantially compared to her last school, she took comfort in her "dragon boyfriend" as Zaneba had put it. Chihiro also made one or two acquaintainces. They weren't quite friends, but it was getting there.

Chihiro stood in knee-deep water and scattered cherry blossom seeds onto the bank of the Kohaku River. Haku was swimming through the crystal clear water in his dragon form, enjoying his newfound freedom. As he swam under the water, he had a little idea. He smiled evilly, and snaked around Chihiro's legs. He rose up in front of her and spat a huge ploom of water into her face. "YOU EVIL LIZARD!" Chihiro screamed with a mouthful of water as Haku resumed his human form.

Haku laughed until his side hurt. "I couldn't resist." He said, tears coming out of his eyes. While she spat out water, Chihiro was happy within herself that Haku seemed so much more…lively…since he got his river back. Or was it something else? Chihiro was feeling strange impulses within her soul. Suddenly, a part of her snapped.

She turned around to face Haku, hormones raging. Haku was still laughing a bit, but looked up just in time to feel Chihiro grab him and kiss him…on the lips…passionately. Haku felt a release he had never felt before. All of his emotions came to a head and found their way out of him in the kiss he melted into. Chihiro didn't know what had overcome her. Was this natural? She was only 10 after all, soon to be 11. But she didn't care. She never wanted this to end. Finally they broke apart, and Haku smiled at a blushing Chihiro.

"I'm sorry Haku, I just had to. I don't know why." Chihiro said as she trembled from the cold water. Haku wrapped himself around her.

"I wasn't sure if you loved me like I loved you, but now I feel it. Now I know." Haku purred as he surrounded her.

"Well that's love for you." A voice said from behind the two of them. Haku and Chihiro jumped and both whirled around to see Zaneba standing before them.

"GRANNY!" Chihiro squealed, and embraced Zaneba tightly. "Oh Chihiro, I knew you'd do just fine dear. It seems that my hair band kept your memories." Zaneba said, feeling the hairband.

"I could never forget you Granny." Chihiro said happily as she let go of Zaneba.

Haku was blushing in the background, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and anger at Zaneba for interrupting heaven on earth. Zaneba sensed it.

"Oh come now Haku, you'll have plenty of other opportunities." Zaneba said, making Haku and Chihiro blush even deeper shades of red. "I left No-Face back at the cottage while I came by to see how the two of you were doing. I am also going to visit my river god friend Tokugawa, the one who gave Haku this river."

Chihiro looked up at Zaneba. "Thank you so much Granny. You don't know how much we appreciate it."

Zaneba raised her eyebrows. She never heard Chihiro refer to her and Haku as "we." Chihiro had changed. Zaneba noticed that she was much more confident than before. And maybe it was a trick of the afternoon sunlight, but was Chihiro developing…breasts? "No no that's not possible. She's 10…unless…" Zaneba racked her mind for theories as to why Chihiro appeared to be ageing.

Chihiro and Haku noticed that Zaneba was thinking about something that was clearly of concern to her. "Is everything OK Zaneba?" Haku asked. Zaneba opened her eyes. "Yes. I was just thinking about how you could come with me to visit Tokugawa. I'm sure he'd love to meet Chihiro." She said.

Chihiro glanced down at her watch. "Yea I've got a few hours. Let's go." She said excitedly.

Zaneba raised her hands in front of her, her golden seal tucked under her left thumb. Reality warped, and Chihiro felt herself moving faster than she had ever thought possible. All was darkness for a few minutes. Chihiro was scared. She felt a big thump, and landed on a firm embankment.

"Zaneba-san, it seems as if our little human girl has never used your means of travel before." Tokugawa said, sitting on a large rock next to Zaneba. Haku quickly ran over to the spot where Chihiro re-appeared and picked her up.

Chihiro and Haku gazed around them. They were at a beautiful river, the Tokugawa River. The sun still shone high in the sky, and flowers were blooming around the banks. Chihiro was dazed but OK. "Wow, I've never done that before Granny." She said, her voice faltering as she gained her bearings. Zaneba threw her head back and laughed. "Well, I figured it would get us here faster. Next time I'll let Haku take you." She said, looking over Chihiro.

"Haku and Chihiro, this is Tokugawa." Zaneba said, presenting her old friend to the two of them. Both Haku and Chihiro held hands and bowed. Tokugawa chuckled to himself.

"I hear you two are quite the couple." Tokugawa said, winking at Zaneba, who blushed.

"I don't know if it's quite there yet, but who knows what the future brings?" Zaneba chimed in, trying to regain her composure. She hadn't seen a man wink at her in years.

Haku pulled Chihiro over to a tree stump and sat down with her. Tokugawa's large wooden staff was resting against it. Tokugawa noticed that the little human girl seemed to be more…advanced…then a human of her age should be. Before he could say anything to Zaneba, Chihiro stood up.

"Thank you for letting Haku use your river to make a replacement for his." Chihiro said, bowing, remembering how she was supposed to show deference to the various deities at the bath house. Even though she wasn't there, it couldn't hurt to still be courteous to them. Tokugawa smiled down upon her.

"My dear, it was no problem. Zaneba and I go way back, so it was a pleasure to do a favor for her." Tokugawa said with a raspy tone. His voice was getting hoarse, probably thanks to more human pollution.

Chihiro noticed that Zaneba didn't seem to react at all to Tokugawa's affirmation of their friendship. In fact, Zaneba didn't seem to be paying attention at all. Haku noticed it too, and was puzzled.

Deep within herself, Zaneba recalled the more unpleasant aspects of her life that being around Tokugawa sometimes reminded her of. She was young and naïve when she entered her first marriage. He was a handsome young volcano god, and…her thoughts were interrupted by Chihiro.

"Granny, are you OK?" She asked concernedly. Chihiro had never seen Zaneba as distressed as she was now. Her soft, kind eyes seemed to die, and Zaneba's wrinkled hands were becoming pale. Haku stood up.

"Zaneba?" He asked, looking into her eyes. Tokugawa turned to face Zaneba, knowing what was wrong.

"Zaneba-san, I think you should share what happened with Haku and Chihiro. You shouldn't suffer alone. I think they should hear it. They are both old enough." Tokugawa said as he grabbed Zaneba's hand. Her eyes began to well up.

"I'm so sorry everyone. Sometimes when I see Tokugawa I get like this. And when I was thinking of Chihiro and Haku together, it brought back some difficult memories." Zaneba said as Tokugawa wiped her eyes with his sleeve. Zaneba sat herself up, glanced at Tokugawa who nodded, and began.

"I was married once. I was so young, and so stupid. A volcano god took a liking to me. He was so passionate. He showered me in gifts, complimented me and he was even nice to my sister, if you can imagine that." She said, managing to crack a smile at the thought of her sister. Chihiro chuckled at the thought of someone actually managing to be nice to Yubaba.

"So I married him. It seemed right at the time. It was natural to get a husband. Yubaba was of course intensely jealous, but she found her own husband eventually, Boh's father. He was so sweet. He had gorgeous eyes, a strong body, but not the best spirit. It didn't take long for me to realize that I had married a monster." Zaneba's voice trailed off, but Tokugawa held her hand.

"The beatings began soon enough. It was over the smallest thing. I didn't make dinner hot enough, the tea wasn't strong enough, the house wasn't clean enough, etc. But I didn't want to leave. I promised to love him until death do us part. The people around me began to notice how much I had changed." Zaneba thought out loud as the memories rolled out of her mind. Haku was deeply grieved for her, and Chihiro had spilled several tears.

"Finally one day there was a large gathering at the bath house of all the gods, a "party" as humans might call it. My husband took me, and when Yubaba saw me even she felt sorry. Tokugawa was there though, and he took pity on me when he saw me."

Tokugawa was looking at Zaneba gravely, knowing how hard it was for her. She went on.

"So he pulled me aside and asked me why I was still with someone like that. It was the first time anyone bothered to ask me why I was allowing myself to be hurt so much. I told him everything. Tokugawa was a total stranger at this time, but I needed someone to talk to while my husband was flirting with some mountain goddess. Finally, Tokugawa told me not to worry and that he'd fix everything." Zaneba's expression began to lighten at the thought of what happened next.

"One night Tokugawa and several of his friends came over to our house and confronted my husband. He was furious that I had told someone else. He said I was his "property." At that point Tokugawa punched out my husband and his friends helped me pack up." Zaneba said, now grinning again. Tokugawa also recalled how good it felt to hit the abusive S.O.B., although his wrist still ached from time to time.

"I left my husband that night, and he was shunned by the rest of the gods when Tokugawa made known what had happened. He was forced to go to a distant volcano, since none in Japan would have him, and last I heard he found some new sea goddess, not that it matters." Zaneba sighed. Tokugawa now spoke up.

"One of my friends had an old cottage at Swamp Bottom that he wasn't using. He gave it to Zaneba, and she's lived there ever since. As for me, I stayed here at my river. I couldn't let the humans lay waste to it." He said gruffly. Zaneba spoke again.

"I told you two this because that's part of the reason I've helped you. I know you two can succeed where I failed, that is, in marriage. Of course, Chihiro will have to wait until she's much older."

Chihiro and Haku sat in silence, stunned at this admission of Zaneba's. They had never known, nor had anyone else it seemed. The only time Yubaba had ever referred to Zaneba in the bath house, or so Haku recalled, was when she was angry at something or exceptionally greedy.

Zaneba and Tokugawa looked at Chihiro and Haku as they held each other's hands. There was definitely love there. Chihiro missed the reference to marriage, but she didn't care. Haku put his arms around Chihiro and consoled her after having to hear such a difficult story.

"I talk about marriage because I think that should lead us into another reason that we're all here." Zaneba said, glancing at Tokugawa, who sighed as he began to understand why Chihiro was appearing to be so much older.

Tokugawa looked up at the sky. "This is going to be a long day."


	8. Chapter 8

Tokugawa raised his old hands and a three small glasses of sake appeared from thin air. "I don't want any, but you three can help yourselves. Zaneba, you told some of your story, now let me tell them how marriage fits into what's happening to Chihiro here." Zaneba cast her glance over to a nervous looking Chihiro and an equally concerned Haku. This could be Haku's dream come true, but it could prove difficult for Chihiro to deal with. She nodded her consent to Tokugawa, who began to scan Chihiro once more to confirm his suspicions. Chihiro was indeed getting taller, even a little since her last visit. Her breasts were enlarging, and her hair getting darker. Her entire soul was also changing somehow, becoming even more adult-like. He could sense powerful sexual urges within Chihiro. "Haku would be a very happy dragon indeed," Tokugawa thought to himself before beginning.

"Chihiro, there is an explanation for your sudden and intense feelings. Contrary to what your parents and human doctors would say, it is not puberty, at least not by itself. Human puberty wouldn't cause you to change so rapidly. Instead, I believe your human puberty has somehow been rapidly accelerated by your contact with the Spirit World, on the physical and emotional levels. You are developing sexual feelings that a human girl wouldn't normally get until she was a few years older." He explained, sensing Haku's hidden smile. Sure it would be a dream come true for a young and horny dragon, but there were other issues to consider.

Zaneba now stepped in. "Most humans who were stranded in the Spirit World were either adults or young children. You were exposed to all kinds of supernatural energies at a time when your human body and mind were beginning to change on their own. The problem is that eventually your parents and others will notice the changes in your body and mind." Zaneba put down her sake and entered into deep thought.

Haku now broke in. "Won't spending enough time back here in her own world stop that process? She's not a spirit after all." Haku tightened his embrace around Chihiro.

"I'm afraid there is no stopping the process, save by one method." Tokugawa said, preparing to deal the blow. Zaneba's face tightened.

"You and Chihiro must marry, and then engage in the fulfillment of marriage, sex. Only then will Chihiro's spirit fit her body and state of mind, and she can then continue to develop at a normal pace for humans." Tokugawa said.

Haku didn't react like Tokugawa and Zaneba expected him to. Haku instead closed his eyes and sighed sorrowfully, knowing what Chihiro was probably thinking. He hated to burden her with this. Of course he wanted Chihiro for himself, but this was too much to ask of a 10-year old, even one with an older mind and soon an older body.

Chihiro, on her own end, felt oddly relieved. Looking back over the weeks since she'd left the Spirit World, everything that Tokugawa and Zaneba were saying made sense. Her academic work, which was once challenging, was now exceptionally easy. She could do her math within minutes instead of an hour or so. Her teachers had even called her parents to inquire about moving her up a grade. Her shirts were getting tighter little by little, and she was outgrowing her pants. Her mother had taken her out the day before to get larger shoes. Mentally she was changing too. Beside their kiss, Chihiro found herself looking at Haku much differently. She was looking at him with a different feeling than friendship…she wanted him to touch her, everywhere he could. She wanted to do things with him, but she couldn't put a word to it.

Haku could sense Chihiro's odd sense of calm. He turned Chihiro to face him and he gazed into her eyes. She wasn't quite at the point of overtly wanting sex, but she was getting there quickly. It was now that Tokugawa, sensing their thoughts, dropped the last hard fact into their laps.

"Unfortunately for you two, the rules of the Spirit World dictate that sex can only take place between married people. Even though you aren't in the Spirit World, Haku is still bound by the rules. Marriage is a hard decision to ask a god to make, let alone a young human." He said, wishing there was something he could do to help them.

Now the four of them remained silent, contemplating everything. Tokugawa ran through the rules concerning marriage between a human and a god, a very rare occasion to be sure, especially nowadays. Zaneba agonized over her poor Chihiro having to be faced with such a decision, especially after her own experiences in marriage, not that Haku was the type of god her husband was. Haku was, as far as gods go, a feisty young god but physically and spiritually ready for a marriage, and he knew he wanted Chihiro. He wanted her so much he was willing to give his life if he had to. Chihiro on her own end felt dizzy. Everything had happened so fast. The Spirit World, the return of Haku and Zaneba, school...she needed time to think.

The sun was slowly beginning to sink in the sky. "Chihiro, your parents will be worrying if you don't get home soon." Haku noted. Zaneba straightened up and waved her left pointer finger at Chihiro. "I just gave you a sleeping spell Chihiro. It will take effect in about 5 hours. After all of this, you'll need a good rest. As for me, I must be going now. No-Face is probably worried." Zaneba said, putting her traveling cloak back on and embracing Chihiro. "Bye Granny. Thanks for everything." Chihiro said weakly, holding on to Zaneba before letting go and returning to her Haku. Tokugawa and Haku bowed. "Farewell Zaneba-san. I will see you soon." Tokugawa said, winking at her. Zaneba blushed, and disappeared with a gust of wind.

"I must also leave. I have to rest after this morning's work. You should too Haku. Your river is making progress but still has a long way to go." Tokugawa said, stepping back into his river. "I will see you two soon." He said as he disappeared under the gentle waves.

Haku picked up Chihiro and flew her back to her home as quickly as he could. "I hope your parents won't be too angry." He said, looking down at a comfortable Chihiro. There was no place where she was more comfortable than in his arms. He dropped her off at her back door. "Come visit me tomorrow." Haku said as he let Chihiro down. Chihiro stood up on her own two feet, and turned to face Haku. "Thank you. Look Haku, don't worry about me. I'll be OK. After all, I survived in the Spirit World. If I learned anything, it's that I can take whatever life throws at me." She said, with a confidence that even a god could envy. Chihiro bowed, but Haku decided there was no point in continuing the formalities. He wrapped himself around her and kissed her deeply. He suppressed his arousal as he rubbed against Chihiro's soft skin, remembering the rules. Chihiro felt herself relax and enjoy it. Whatever decision she made about marriage or Haku, for the moment, she was happy.


	9. Chapter 9

The sun was still shining brightly over Japan as Chihiro returned home from school. The streets weren't that busy since most of the adults hadn't left work yet. It had been about 2 months since she'd learned the shocking news about her accelerated growth and the prospects of marriage with Haku. Her parents had sent her to several doctors, since the changes in her body were becoming even more noticeable, but they couldn't figure it out.

Chihiro threw open the back door and entered the kitchen. Her mother wasn't there; probably out shopping or running other errands. Chihiro went into her room and lay down on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She wished she could tell her parents about what was happening to her. Haku, Zaneba and Tokugawa were all very supportive, but it still felt wrong that she had to exclude her parents. Zaneba had urged her to keep everything secret until she told Chihiro to do otherwise. Besides, in order to tell them about her dilemma, she'd probably have to tell them about their adventure in the Spirit World for them to get the whole truth, something that they had no memory of, at least as far as Chihiro could tell. The Spirit World was probably nothing more than a half-forgotten dream to them.

Her window was half open, and the breeze slowly wafted in, relaxing Chihiro. "I gotta start my homework," she sighed, closing her eyes briefly. The window pane rattled, the breeze getting stronger. Just as she was about to open her eyes, a pair of lips touched her own. She opened her eyes to see Haku floating over her in human form. She gazed into his eyes, losing herself in the moment. She was perfectly comfortable as they kept themselves locked into the moment, never wanting it to go away. In what seemed to be a further advancement of Chihiro's mental growth, thoughts began stirring within her, and Haku sensed what she was thinking. He would've acted but didn't want to make Chihiro uncomfortable. He didn't need to. Chihiro reached up and pulled his tunic off. Haku wasn't exactly a muscle god, but he was the best thing ever as far as she was concerned. He knew what she wanted, but they both knew they weren't ready for it, nor was it even a good idea given the Spirit World's rules. That didn't prevent them from doing whatever else they wanted though…

Haku untied Chihiro's hairband and unbuttoned her school uniform shirt. "You probably weren't expecting me. I'm sorry to have just walked in without warning." He purred apologetically into her ear.

"Don't worry about it. You can sneak into my bed anytime." She whispered seductively, letting her hands wander all over Haku's lean body. Haku buried his face into Chihiro's now larger breasts, no longer feeling the same reservations he once had about doing something like this with Chihiro. The real challenge that both Haku and Chihiro had in front of them was not constantly worrying about what was "normal" for Chihiro. All they could do was trust one another.

Chihiro put her hands on Haku's head, feeling the blood rush into his temples, and lifted it up. This time Haku didn't wait. He kissed her deeply, feeling his manhood swell, pressing in-between Chihiro's legs. Chihiro felt blood rushing to her midsection.

Haku groaned, but knowing he couldn't go any further, excused himself to Chihiro's bathroom to release the tension building up within him. Chihiro remain stretched out on her bed, putting her clothes back on in case her parents came back early. After he was done, Haku emerged, now fully dressed, and lay down beside Chihiro.

"Wanna come to my river? It will be done within days now." He whispered into her ear, playing with her earring.

"Sorry Haku, but I've got homework to do." Chihiro said, laughing at the sad dragon eyes Haku was now giving her.

"Oh don't start that. Did you think being together meant we'd be spending every waking moment of our lives getting horny?" She asked, laughing at Haku's embarrassed face.

"Well," Haku began, no longer embarrassed, "the thought had crossed my mind."

Chihiro laughed louder as Haku pulled her in. As he was about to kiss her, everything began to shake violently. The entire house felt like it was jumping. Chihiro's windows shattered, and her light fell from her ceiling.

"Watch out!" Haku screamed, putting himself over Chihiro to shield her. The light smashed to the floor. Books fell off of her shelves, and Chihiro could hear the neighbors screaming for help.

After what seemed like hours, but was in fact only a few seconds, the violent shaking stopped. Haku got off of Chihiro and went to the broken window, surveying the neighborhood.

"May the gods have mercy." He said sadly, as Chihiro walked over the window and gasped at what she saw.

Several water pipes had ruptured, sending water everywhere. The pavement on the street looked like a jigsaw puzzle. A massive column of fire was erupting out of a nearby sewer, probably from a broken gas pipe. Severed power lines were shooting out sparks all over the place. The neighborhood houses appeared relatively undamaged. "Small mercies," Haku thought.

"It must have been an earthquake." Chihiro said quickly, turning to Haku, who's eyes narrowed. She knew that look. Haku knew something that he wasn't letting on.

"What's going on Haku? Is everything OK?" She asked, tugging at his sleeve.

"Something about this isn't right." He said, looking over the hills to see what other damage there was. "There are no fault lines around here. You shouldn't have had an earthquake, at least not one like this. I could feel the vibrations of the earth. Something bad is going on here." He said quickly, feeling a vague sense of fear.

"Well it couldn't have been Mt. Toshimi. That volcano's been extinct for hundreds of years. I learned about it in school today." Chihiro said, looking east toward the massive mountain, which appeared normal. There was no smoke or anything. Mt. Toshimi was actually quite nice to hike on, and its mineral waters were a major tourist commodity.

Haku relaxed a little, but did not seem convinced. "Never mind. We better try to find your parents. They work in office buildings, don't they?"

"Oh no, I almost forgot!" She cried, rushing out her bedroom door and down into her kitchen. Haku went down after her. Both put on their shoes, and left the house. Neither could drive, and Haku couldn't risk being seen flying. They stepped onto the sidewalk, careful to avoid the power lines.

Chihiro ran through all the options in her mind. Her father's office building was at least 8 miles away in the downtown area. Her mother could be out at any grocery store in the area, or at the mall or anywhere else. The subways would be down, and the buses wouldn't operate if there was a danger of falling power lines and debris. Neither her nor Haku could drive, and Haku couldn't risk being seen flying. Taxis didn't tend to come through the neighborhood area.

Suddenly, a massive burst of light flashed in front of their eyes. In front of them stood Zaneba, clothed in her typical granny outfit.

"I came as soon as word reached the Spirit World. Are you two alright?" The old witch cried, embracing both of them.

"Granny we're OK. But I don't know about my parents!" Chihiro cried into Zaneba's shoulder. Zaneba looked at Haku, who was thinking about the magic he learned from Yubaba and if it could do any good.

"Alright. Haku, you fly downtown and grab her father. You'll have to take the chance of being seen. He's met you right? Good. Once you get him…" Zaneba started, but then stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes widened. She sniffed the air, picking up something. Her mouth opened in horror. A shiver ran down Haku's spine. He sensed it too. Zaneba grabbed Chihiro and Haku, and pulled them into the house. Once they got into the kitchen, she waved her hands, slamming all of the doors in the house shut at once.

"Listen to me, Chihiro. There's no time to get your parents. Believe me, they're better off downtown then they are here. Mt. Toshimi…" Zaneba was cut off in mid-sentence as a massive blast hurled all three of them across the Chihiro's kitchen. Beams of wood began falling everywhere, and Chihiro fell into darkness.


	10. Chapter 10

Chihiro awoke after what seemed like hours. It was dark all around her. She felt immobilized. It took her a few seconds to remember what had happened. Zaneba had said something about the volcano…

Chihiro looked around her as shapes began to resolve in the darkness. She recognized it as her home, but not the home she knew. She was in her living room, but the furniture was tossed everywhere. Part of the wall had caved in, exposing pipes. Wooden beams were sticking through the ceiling. Chihiro tried to sit up but couldn't. She looked down at her waist to find a large slab of the wall pinning her down. She tried to move it, but it was very heavy. She looked around to see if anyone else was there. Haku was lying on the floor about 10 feet away from her. His face was pale.

"Chihiro, before you woke up Zaneba was here. She wanted me to tell you that she contacted Tokugawa and sent him downtown to get your parents." Haku gasped, coughing some dust out of his lungs.

"That's great, but my parents don't know him. Will they trust him?" Chihiro asked, not thinking about how bad her father's temper must have been in a disaster like this.

"I don't think Tokugawa will be asking for their permission to take them to safety." Haku laughed slightly. "I'm not sure where he's taking them, but don't worry Chihiro. He'll take care of them, and you'll see them soon." Haku said as he wrapped his arms around Chihiro, pulling her close. As if Chihiro didn't have enough to worry about, now this had to happen.

"Wait a minute. Where is Granny?" Chihiro asked, pulling away from Haku slightly.

Haku shook his head. "She told me that she was going back to the Spirit World to get something important." Seeing the look on Chihiro's face, he added, "She also said you are not to worry about her."

Chihiro stayed silent, on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The entire world was going crazy. Haku was the only thing that kept her sane. Her home was wrecked, her parents missing, and she couldn't bear to think about how many people must have been killed. Truly, she and Haku were lucky.

Haku walked to Chihiro's front door. She followed him, and they looked outside.

If the earthquake was bad, what Chihiro now saw was even worse. Her neighborhood was in shambles. Several houses were flattened, most power lines were down, and all of the cars were overturned. Scores of people were running down her road. Many were badly burned. All had looks of unholy fright on their faces. For a brief moment, Chihiro recalled her teacher's story about how Hiroshima was after the atomic bomb was dropped.

Chihiro felt something light and fluffy land on her nose. It was ash. It was falling everywhere.

Haku turned his gaze toward the sky. Chihiro followed it, and saw the source of the ash.

Mt. Toshimi was on fire. The once green landscape was scorched. Lava poured down its sides. A pillar of smoke billowed out of the top. The sky was darkening. As horrible as it was, Chihiro had to be thankful that at least her and Haku, and soon her parents, would be safe.

Chihiro firmly grasped Haku's hand as a foul smell overcame both of them. It smelled like rotting eggs, and burning trash. It didn't take long for Chihiro and Haku to realize that they were far from safe. Chihiro looked up her street, and screamed.

About 100 feet down the street, a torrent of lava was rapidly advancing. Since the road sloped downhill, toward Chihiro's house, both her and Haku figured out that they had to act quickly.

Chihiro, despite her maturity, was frozen to the spot. Haku grabbed her. "We gotta get out of here Chihiro!" He yelled at her.

Just as Chihiro was about to turn and go with Haku, she noticed something from the corner of her eye. A large black object had positioned itself in front of the lava, and seemed to be…eating it?

"AHHH!!!!" The black object cried as it engulfed the lava. Chihiro would've recognized that voice anywhere.

"It's No-Face!" Chihiro squealed happily. She had never been so happy to see him. Haku was astonished at No-Face's actions. He was forming a kind of containment barrier around the lava, and also seemed to be eating it. They both began to run down the street to the odd creature.

No-Face was not only containing the lava, but was in fact eating it. He voraciously gobbled up the burning rock and spat it into a storm drain. When Chihiro reached him, No-Face turned to face her, spitting more lava into the storm drain. His face carried a sad, distressed expression. "Ah…" He moaned sadly. No-Face was hanging in there, but it was taking a brutal toll on him. The sheer weight of the molten lava was bending No-Face even as he expanded himself to prevent the lava from flowing around him. Chihiro looked down as a small hand emerged. "Ah…" He gasped. Chihiro instantly grabbed his hand. "Hang on No-Face!" She cried.

Haku could tell that No-Face wasn't going to last. "Chihiro, back away from No-Face. I think I might have an idea." He shouted over the screams of firetrucks and police cars, which were going into a frenzy over the disaster.

Chihiro let go of No-Face's hand. "Don't worry No-Face, you'll be OK. We're gonna help you." She said, tears in her eyes, before backing away.

Haku closed his eyes and raised his hands. He began to mumble something under his breath. Haku's hands began to take on a fluidic form, as if turning to water. Arching his back, he raised both hands, and torrents of water burst forth.

No-Face gave a happy "ah!" when the cooling water hit him, giving him strength to hold on a little bit longer. A small smile came over his masked face.

Haku then directed the jets of water just over No-Face. Chihiro saw what he was trying to do. Haku turned to Chihiro.

"I need to get the lava to form a crust. It will divert it into the storm drain…for a while." Haku gasped, his strength leaving him.

A flash of light burst between Haku and Chihiro. Zaneba appeared out of thin air. She brushed the ash off of her blue dress, and held her head up to look at Haku and Chihiro.

"I knew the two of you would be fine. I sent No-Face here first, and then I had to get something else that will give this volcano a challenge." Zaneba smiled, holding up a small shiny object that Chihiro recognized as her solid gold seal.

The lava, thanks to Haku and No-Face, had now formed a crust and was draining into the storm ditch. "I guess we should go get Chihiro's parents now." Haku sighed, still out of breath from working so hard.

Zaneba stood in front of the crusted lava, and waved her golden seal. The lava then suddenly disappeared. Zaneba pointed her seal to a burning home, and the flames instantly died down. "We can't just leave these poor people." She said, pointing her seal to several houses, desperately trying to save as many as she could. "Haku, go back to the Spirit World and get some spirits from the bath house to help. If Yubaba complains, tell her that I won't hesitate to let No-Face back into her bath house." Zaneba said, with a slightly humorous tone in her voice. Chihiro could tell that if Yubaba was smart, she'd do as Zaneba said.

No-Face disappeared from sight, waving to Chihiro as he left. "Don't worry, I sent him back to the cottage to gather some supplies." Zaneba said soothingly, sensing Chihiro's anxiety.

Zaneba handed Haku her golden seal. "Take this, and if Yubaba seriously gives you any lip, just change her into a slug. Ask all of the bath house workers and spirits for help. Tell them what's happening, and tell them that the spirit in this volcano is banned from this part of the human world. They'll have to intervene." Haku nodded, and kissed Chihiro passionately. Throughout all of the human suffering that they had to witness, they had consolation in each other for a brief moment. Chihiro and Haku were growing more and more together.

"I won't be gone long Chihiro. Everything will be OK." He said before disappearing, not wanting to have to watch Chihiro cry at his departure.

In the midst of Chihiro's grief at having to be separated from Haku in a time like this, she recalled something that Zaneba said. "Granny, why do you think that there's a spirit in the volcano?" Chihiro asked.

"It seems like the little human runt is learning fast." A low, raspy voice spoke from behind them.

Zaneba and Chihiro whirled around. Chihiro had never seen anything like what was standing before her and Granny now. Before them stood a creature had the form of a human man in his 40's, but his skin was covered with hideous black cracks, and the skin itself seemed to be like lava, slowly moving around and covering him. He had no hair, only red fire, on his head. His cold green eyes had a reptilian nature to them, a look that suggested that whatever this man or spirit was, he was much older than 40.

Chihiro would normally have screamed, but by now she was used to seeing weird things. To Granny, he was all too familiar.

Zaneba stood strong where she was, and smiled dangerously. "It looks like my dear husband has come back to play." She said through gritted teeth, clenching her fists.

"I should've known right from the start. Well you haven't changed much Toshio. At least you're predictable. You're still a vicious monster and a murderer. But then, what should I have expected?" Zaneba spat at the creature.

"Tough words from a weak mouth. Are you any better Zaneba? You married me, after all." Her former husband sneered at her.

"Yes I married you. And I also left you." Zaneba replied coolly, maintaining her calm.

His eyes lit up dangerously, and Zaneba held Chihiro close to her. Chihiro could tell that Granny had hit a sore spot.

"Yes, well, no matter. I've done quite well for myself. Looks like my little eruption got the humans all upset. Well, they'll be dead soon anyway. Wait until they see the big finale!" Toshio said ominously. "Unless of course, you would want to have some fun, for old times sake," licking his disgusting lips.

"I think experiencing another eruption is better than the thought of seeing you naked again." Zaneba said sarcastically.

Toshio's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'll be seeing you soon, whether you like it or not." He said, and vanished.

Zaneba placed her hand on her head, wiping sweat off. Chihiro knew Granny was in danger as long as Toshio knew where she was. She also wasn't sure if he'd carry out his threat to make an even bigger eruption.

"Granny, there are lots of places in the Spirit World that you can hide. He doesn't know about your house, does he?" Chihiro began, but Zaneba held up her hand.

"I'm not hiding anymore Chihiro. No more excuses. No more interventions. I know now that I should've fought back the first time he hurt me, and not ran away. I wasn't strong enough then, but I am now." She said resolutely, looking around her at all the damage Toshio had caused. "He could've killed you and your parents, not that he would've cared. This time, he's gone too far."

Chihiro looked around in grief. All she could think about was Haku. "Hurry back Haku." She thought to herself.


	11. Chapter 11

Yubaba sat in her large chair behind her office desk, examining a deep blue gem that a customer had given her as payment. "This should fetch a good price." She thought, wondering what she could spend the money on. Perhaps another gift for Boh was in order. He was behaving so much better lately, but then Chihiro had more to do with that than anything else. "The little brat actually did a few good things." Zaneba said to herself, chuckling as she lit up one of her long cigarettes.

"That brat is soon to be my wife." A voice growled from behind her.

Yubaba whirled around to see Haku standing before her, with a very unpleasant look on his face. She smiled, trying to maintain her cool, but could not help but be mildly scared at Haku. He had changed somehow. His whole demeanor was more confident and strong. He seemed slightly taller, and his hair was also a little bit longer. His voice was also deepening. Yubaba knew what was happening, but did not say anything, choosing instead to play dumb.

"So you're back already? I guess you couldn't make it in the human world after all. Alright then, I'll draw up another contract?" Yubaba sighed.

Haku considered her for a moment, and then flicked his wrist. Zaneba's solid golden seal appeared in his hand. Yubaba's eyes widened.

"From now on, you'll be doing as I say. You will order each of your employees to take the day off and follow me to the human world. Your former brother-in-law is wreaking havoc in a volcano. He is banned from the part of the human world that he is currently in. Your employees, at least Lin and Kamaji anyway, should be willing to help me get rid of him." Haku said. He spoke as casually as one commenting on the weather.

Yubaba was stunned. Her former servant was not going to talk to her like this and get away with it. She swelled with fury. "You little upstart, I'll-

"SHUT UP YOU FOUL BITCH!" Haku bellowed, shaking the walls. Yubaba cowered, not bothering to hide her fright anymore. Haku's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You and I both know what I can do even without the golden seal. I'm in love. You know that. You know that when a spirit has found his true mate that his powers increase dramatically. That's exactly what's happened, and if I'm already strong enough without the seal, imagine what I can do with it."

Yubaba was at a loss for words. He was right. Haku now had the upper hand. Based on the fact that he could hold the seal without suffering, she guessed that Zaneba had willingly given him the seal to threaten her with. It worked.

"Fine, but why are you so interested in stopping Toshio? I remember him well enough. When my sister was married to him, it was really the only time I ever actually felt sorry for her, but it was her decision. Why not let her deal with it?" Yubaba asked smoothly, trying to get herself out of having to give up her staff for a day using diplomacy, since force wouldn't work.

"I owe your sister. She enabled Chihiro to remember her time here, not that you would care." Haku said coldly.

Yubaba took out a cigarette and lit it. After taking a few puffs, she picked up her desk phone and spoke into it.

"Lin, report to my office immediately." She spoke, slowly and calmly. Within a few minutes, Lin had arrived.

"Hey Dragon Boy." Lin said jokingly as she saw Haku standing behind Yubaba's desk. Haku smiled slightly and then bowed, but said nothing. Lin turned to face Yubaba. "You summoned me Madam?" She asked in a sugary sweet voice that was too sweet to be genuine. Lin was still angry that Yubaba hadn't let her have the gold that the river spirit gave when Chihiro cleaned him.

"Gather up the staff and have them follow Haku to the human world. Haku and my sister have some business to take care of. And I'm guessing you'd like a chance to see Chihiro?" Yubaba said icily.

Lin's eyes lit up at the thought of seeing Chihiro again, and it was at that moment that Lin noticed that Yubaba seemed almost intimidated. She glanced at Haku, and noticed the same changes that Yubaba noticed. Suddenly, the truth hit her about Haku and Chihiro. She remembered seeing the two land together when they brought Boh back. The changes in Haku showed that the affection was becoming romantic. She was about to tell Haku how happy she was for him and Chihiro, but Haku turned and bowed to Yubaba, and then walked out of the room. Lin hadn't even thought to ask what the "business" was in the human world. Yubaba remained behind to consider the events that had just taken place.

Lin followed Haku into the elevator. "I'm so happy for the two of you! I knew it. So when's the big day?" She asked, knowing the rules about sex and marriage.

Haku had considerably loosened up after leaving Yubaba. He turned to her and smiled much more warmly. "We haven't planned anything, but it will take some time for her to…" Haku's voice trailed off. Lin frowned slightly, knowing the situation about Chihiro's need to mature more, and about what it could do to her.

"I'll get the staff to the gateway and we'll wait for you there. In the meantime, you better talk to Kamaji. He knows a lot about human stuff. By the way, why are we going to the human world?" Lin asked.

The elevator stopped. "I'll explain when I meet up with you there. Have everyone eat before they get there. They'll all need their strength." Haku said, feeling a creeping sense of stress. Of course Chihiro was his top concern, but rumor in the Spirit World had it that Toshio was a potent spirit. He might not be easy to defeat, even with Zaneba's golden seal. Lin looked puzzled, but shrugged it off, thinking about all the things she still had to tell Chihiro about herself. They hadn't gotten to know each other half as well as she wanted. She stepped off the elevator and prepared to talk to the foreman.

The elevator doors closed, and Haku continued to descend to the boiler rooms. The doors opened slowly. Kamaji was stoking the boilers, sweating profusely in the process.

"Hello Haku." Kamaji said without turning around.

Haku bowed respectfully, and went to Kamaji's side. "Kamaji, I need your help." Haku said, just barely managing to keep his composure.

Kamaji sensed what Haku was there for. He remembered the love that Chihiro showed to Haku when he was dying from Zaneba's curse. "You'll be wanting advice about a spirit-human relationship, specifically with Sen." He said slowly, turning a lever on one of the boilers.

"Well it can be difficult. I won't lie. Humans and spirits are separated by the gateways because the two were are so different. You are pure spirit. Sen is a mixture of body and spirit, but that shouldn't be a problem as long as you remain in human form when you…possess her." Kamaji said, his cheeks blushing at the thought.

"Remember also that your life experiences are also quite different. You don't have a family here, and Chihiro's parents will probably not take well to their little girl marrying so young. Don't expect to automatically gain a whole new family. You two may have to make one of your own." Kamaji said concernedly.

"Well that shouldn't be a problem. We can have children, right?" Haku asked, wondering if humans and spirits could procreate. Kamaji laughed.

"Haku, you're too young to be thinking about that now. But yes, you can, but understand one thing Haku." Kamaji turned serious. "Marriage is not a fairy tale that goes on without a problem or a care in the world. Times won't always be easy. There will be many practical issues you'll both have to resolve, such as where to raise your children, what name Sen will take, etc. You are committing the rest of your life to a mortal being. Are you ready to undertake that kind of responsibility?" Kamaji asked, knowing the answer.

Haku did not even need any time to consider what Kamaji had asked. He already knew his answer, and what he must do. He bowed to Kamaji, and raced out of the boiler room to meet Lin and the others at the Spirit World gateway.

Kamaji smiled. "I'll take that as a yes."


	12. Chapter 12

Chihiro, No-Face and Zaneba looked around them at the heinous damage that Toshio had caused. The volcano was still smoldering ominously.

No-Face's mask was expressionless, as if stunned by everything that had happened. Zaneba kept aiming her golden seal at random houses in the distance, trying to repair as much damage as she could. Chihiro was gathering her injured neighbors together and putting them inside a few cars. After she was done, Zaneba cast a spell on the cars and they magically drove themselves away, leaving Chihiro, Zaneba and No-Face behind. "It will get them to the nearest hospital." Zaneba reassured Chihiro.

The situation in the neighborhood and the city seemed to be stable for the moment. Helicopters and planes from all over Japan were bringing aid in, and the immediate area had been evacuated except for Chihiro, Granny and No-Face. There was still no word from Tokugawa about Mr. and Mrs. Ogino. The relative calm (if one could call it that) continued throughout the evening, with sirens continuing to roar in the city, which was still alight from scattered fires and ruptured gas lines.

Although Chihiro was missing Haku, wondering if her parents were OK, and thinking about what Toshio could wind up doing if the volcano went off again, a thought came into the back of her mind. It had been there subconsciously, but she had not confronted it until now due to the chaos. Tokugawa and Zaneba had said that her maturation as a girl was accelerating. If that continued throughout her adult life, then wouldn't that mean…

"Granny, if I'm maturing faster, does that mean that I won't live as long as a normal human?"

Zaneba dropped her golden seal by accident. A deep sorrow, deeper than the one she was feeling right now due to the acts of Toshio, filled her. She knew that eventually her and Tokugawa would've had to have explained it. She had hoped that it could wait until Chihiro was a little older, so her and Haku would have some carefree time with each other instead of having to confront a hard truth. Zaneba turned around slowly to face Chihiro.

"I would think so. Such marriages are only myth, as far as the Spirit World is concerned. Whenever the subject has come up for discussion amongst spirits, the working assumption is that the human's lifespan would decrease." Granny said quietly, as the sky grew darker.

"How long?" Chihiro whispered, feeling a strange sense that she somehow knew that some kind of catch like this would come.

"No one can say for sure." Granny said sadly, feeling tears welling up inside of her. "But with my golden seal, I might be able to provide you with a couple years of extra time if we're lucky…" Zaneba began before her voice broke.

No-Face's mask was now sad, and he placed an arm around Chihiro. At that moment, Chihiro began to feel a change within herself. It was hard to describe, but it was almost a sense of…power, like a sugar rush, although in her own mind rather than her body. Chihiro composed herself and said, "No. I love Haku. I know that now. I'd rather die at the age of 20 with Haku than live to the age of 70 without him…" Chihiro said, without any more tears or sorrow. All she felt was resolute finality, as though this was how it was and how it would remain.

Zaneba cast a surprised glance at Chihiro, also perceiving the changes. Chihiro was not the same little girl now. Although months had passed, she seemed older and wiser. She was amazed that Chihiro had just made such a huge decision, without even taking time to think it through. "That's love for you." Granny thought to herself.

"Yes, it's love. This is my decision, and I'm making it now without looking back. Maybe I wasn't meant to have ever entered the Spirit World and met all of you. Maybe I'm not meant to be growing years in a matter of months. Maybe I'm not even meant to have a dragon boyfriend," Chihiro began, with a light tone of humor at the last assertion. "But the fact is, that's how things were and are. I can't change the past, and I won't change how I love Haku." She finished, with the tone of one who had just stated an unchangeable fact.

Now something was definitely different. Chihiro had never spoken like this. "Wait a moment. Chihiro, how did you know that I had thought 'that's love for you'?" Granny asked, her eyes widening in amazement. No human had ever been able to know what was on her mind before now. Even spirits found it hard to probe Zaneba's mind.

"I don't know. I just knew, somehow…" Chihiro said slowly, wondering the same thing herself. That was a good question. Was it just intuition?

Something else was going on here. Chihiro and Zaneba both knew it. Chihiro was changing in a way that was more than accelerated maturation.

Chihiro looked down to her hands, and Granny gasped. Her hands were…brighter. Her skin hadn't changed its essential color, but it now enveloped in a pale golden light.

Chihiro looked up at Granny, shocked at what was happening. "Granny, what's wrong with me? Why am I glowing?"

No-Face was smiling, happier than he had ever been, and tears were once again flowing down Zaneba's face, but this time they were tears of joy. "Chihiro, it makes sense now. You were never maturing faster. Tokugawa and I assumed that you were because we believed you were fully human. Haku thought so as well. You even fooled my sister!" Zaneba was laughing, like she had when Chihiro told her that she had squashed the slug Yubaba put into Haku.

"Oh my dear. You were only changing into your essential nature. Chihiro, you're a spirit!" Granny cried.


	13. Chapter 13

NOTE: I'll be very busy until May with school work so I probably won't have much, if any, time to update this story until then. Here's a new chapter to hold my fans over until then. Remember that I don't own any of these characters.

Haku, Lin and several other bathhouse workers arrived on the other side of the gateway between the human and spirit worlds. Only a handful of the bathhouse workers agreed to come with Haku. The very name of Toshio struck fear into the bathhouse when Haku announced what he was doing. Apparently Zaneba wasn't his only victim. Lin put on a brave face, but she was also fearful. Only the most powerful (and bravest) of the bathhouse spirits agreed to launch an assault against Toshio in the human world. Truth be told, a lot of them probably came to get a chance to see Chihiro again. Even though it had been months, Chihiro was still talked about at the bathhouse all the time. Then again, many probably just came to get away from Yubaba for a while!

Haku stood at the head of the small group, with Lin at his side. "Here's everyone." Lin said, counting each of the workers mentally. The workers were chatting amongst themselves, armed with only their spells and knowledge. There were many solemn faces, some fearful as well. Haku looked around what used to be the woods near Chihiro's house. The trees were either flattened or completely burned away. Ash covered the ground. There were no birds or animals of any kind. It was a wasteland. Lin shuddered at the incredible power Toshio must have summoned to blow up a volcano. If he regained the same power and used it against them, would they really stand a chance?

"All right everyone. I left Sen at the street up that hill," Haku began, pointing in the direction of Chihiro's neighborhood. "We won't use spells until necessary. We'll need to conserve our strength."

Deep within Haku's heart, he felt that Chihiro was OK, but there was something changed. Although they were not yet married, a bond of some sort had developed over the time that they had been together, and Haku instinctually knew Chihiro's emotions and feelings on a certain, basic level. But what he was sensing was different, almost…spirit-like?

Haku brushed this out of his mind, and concentrated on the task at hand. He had no idea how he was going to deal with Toshio. Lin looked around, her eyebrows rising in amazement. She had only visited the human world a few times in her life, but she always remembered it as a beautiful place, although she wasn't exactly thrilled with most humans, Chihiro being the exception. From the perspective of many spirits, humans were looked down upon for several reasons, the chief one being the rampant destruction of natural habitats inhabited by spirits thanks to human construction companies, the same thing that happened to Haku's original river home. This resentment was common with younger spirits, but the happiness that Chihiro brought to the bathhouse helped dispel some of the stereotypes. Chihiro certainly wasn't destructive.

When she saw the massive destruction around her, Lin grieved for Chihiro. "This is evil." Lin whispered to herself. "How could any spirit use his own power to make innocent humans suffer like this? Not even Yubaba would ever do something like this."

The other spirits also seemed deeply disturbed by what they saw. Haku only picked spirits who were familiar with the human world. "Let's go back to where I left Sen, and remember that her true name is Chihiro." Haku said, raising some eyebrows among the other spirits, who were intrigued to know Chihiro's real name. They had each been able to remember their own true names since Yubaba cast a special spell at Haku's orders, as a spirit could not leave the spirit world without his or her true name. Yubaba had been particularly stubborn on this point, fearing that her workers would never return, but most had worked at the bath house for the majority of their lives. Haku felt that most would return after this ordeal was over. If not, then Yubaba would just have to deal with it. "I'm almost there Chihiro." Haku spoke in the depths of his heart.

Chihiro was in shock from Granny's news. How was it possible that she could be a spirit? She was born and raised as a human, from human parents. Granny quietly reflected, searching her memories for anything that might help clarify the situation.

Zaneba had managed to somewhat fix Chihiro's house, if only crudely. The windows were still shattered and debris was still scattered throughout the house. The living room seemed to be the least damaged room, so the three assembled there. Zaneba sat on an arm chair, wishing she had some tea for herself and Chihiro, who was lying down on the couch. No-Face decided to go and guard the outside, in his invisible form.

"I never did like arriving at another home unannounced, but I'll make an exception today." A familiar, humorous voice said from the front door. Chihiro sat up quickly to see Tokugawa standing in the door, dressed in the same kind of traveling robes that the spirits at the bathhouse wore on the night that Chihiro arrived in the Spirit World for the first time.

"Tokugawa!" Chihiro cried happily, overjoyed to see him. She jumped up and ran to him, squeezing him in a tight embrace. "My goodness child, you are getting stronger!" Tokugawa laughed. After Chihiro was done, Zaneba stood up and embraced him warmly, relieved to see her friend. "You don't know how good it is to know you're all right. I've been worried." Granny said with a sigh of relief. Chihiro spoke next. She was eager to know what had happened. "Tokugawa, what happened? Are my parents all right?" Chihiro asked excitedly.

"Do not fear for your parents my dear," Tokugawa said, looking at Chihiro kindly. "They are both in a deep sleep at my home below my river. I was actually quite lucky. Haku once told me where your father worked, so finding him was easy enough, but your mother would normally have been difficult to find, but thankfully she was visiting him in his office. I rendered them both unconscious and transported them to my home. I would've done the same for more humans if I had enough space in my home. At any rate, I thought the best way to help the most humans would be to do what I'm doing now. I've been diverting some of my river toward the city to help your human firemen." Tokugawa recounted as if recalling a good day's work, and then plopped himself down on a sofa near Granny. "Seriously, I hope you don't mind that I showed up uninvited." He said to Chihiro, smiling.

"Of course not! You're always welcome here!" Chihiro said happily, bowing her head.

Then Tokugawa turned to Zaneba, who had an idea of what he was about to say. "Zaneba, I don't want you to worry about Toshio. I have put all of my friends in other rivers on alert and…" Zaneba held up her hand, stopping him in mid-sentence.

"Thank you Tokugawa, but I'm not going to ask you to defend me anymore. I've told Chihiro what I'm about to tell you. I know Toshio, and I know his tricks. There's no point in running anyway, since he'll just find me again. I'm sure he had agents stationed at all of the gateways into the Spirit World, waiting for me to come into the human world so he could go after me again. I've avoided dealing with this part of my life for too long, and as a result innocent humans have been killed, and more may die if I don't stop him now."

Tokugawa wasn't sure what to say, although Chihiro looked at Zaneba with admiration. "But my dear, I can't just let you face him alone. It doesn't have to be that desperate." Tokugawa pleaded, taking Zaneba's hand.

"Toshio could've killed you the first time around." Granny responded. "It was only because you and I and our friends teamed up against him that we beat him before. I won't subject you to that risk. I only asked Haku to bring the bath house spirits in case he tried to hurt any humans directly. I'm not putting any of you in danger." Zaneba spoke as though the matter was closed. Tokugawa and Chihiro saw that it was useless trying to argue with her. But deep down Chihiro understood why Granny felt the way she did. Zaneba continued to speak. "Besides, there is something else that needs to be addressed. I think our Chihiro is a spirit!"

Tokugawa fell into total silence, as if running something through his mind. He looked Chihiro directly in the eye. Chihiro felt like she was being probed, but not in a bad way. She felt a slight tingling sensation, like something crawling up her back. After a few moments he said, "Yes, you're right, but it's not evident like it is with us. I think it might be more accurate to say that Chihiro is both spirit and human."

Granny was puzzled, and Chihiro frowned, still not understanding. "I know all humans have a spirited soul, but one cannot be both fully spirit and fully human Tokugawa…" Granny began, but Tokugawa stopped her.

"I'm not surprised that you would be under that misconception, Zaneba. Only a handful of spirits know that there is in fact one way that it can happen. Chihiro must be descended from a spirit." He finished, noticing the confused look on Granny's face. Chihiro was, in fact, not as surprised. She knew very little about her extended family, so for all she knew it could very well be that she had a spirit relative.

"It is unprecedented. Although humans and spirits married more often in ancient times, they rarely do now. When they do, the aging process in the human is increased, which is what we thought was happening with you because you wanted to marry Haku. But you are the first human descended from a spirit to marry a full spirit. When humans and spirits intermarried in the past the human partners were always fully human. But not you, my dear." Tokugawa exclaimed, smiling at Chihiro.

"OK, I can believe this, but then who's my spirit ancestor? And why aren't my parents the same way?" Chihiro asked, looking at some pictures on the wall of her family. Now Tokugawa was beaming more now than ever, as if about to reveal something grand.

"You are unique in your family because you are the first to want to marry a spirit, excluding your fully human ancestor who did the same. That's why it's only affecting you. All of your relatives are spirit and human, but it won't manifest itself unless they marry a spirit. As to who your ancestor is, you're looking at him!"

Granny's eyes widened considerably, while Chihiro nearly fell off the couch. Tokugawa stayed silent, anticipating the expected deluge of questions from both Granny and Chihiro, both of whom began questioning him immediately as his memories came back to him.

After letting both of them go on for several minutes, Tokugawa finally held up his hand. "If you'd let me speak, I'd be happy to tell my story. I hope you can understand though that it will be the short version, since I'm quite old after all!" He said jokingly, straightening himself up.

"Why didn't you ever tell me this Tokugawa?" Granny asked, in utter shock. Chihiro was actually somewhat hurt. "And what about me? You never even acknowledged me as your relative until now." Chihiro said angrily. After all this time, Tokugawa just shows up and declares that he's her relative. "I've got enough on my plate at the moment. There's a homicidal volcano spirit after us, I'm separated from Haku, I haven't seen my parents…" Chihiro buried her head in her knees. Granny would've comforted her if she had known what to say. How could Tokugawa just announce this out of the blue?

Tokugawa sighed and bowed his head. "I'm sorry, both of you must believe that. But I only realized it just now when I looked into your eyes Chihiro. I searched your soul, and I made the connection between myself and you at that very moment." He muttered sorrowfully.

"What connection?" Zaneba asked. If Chihiro hadn't known better, she thought she heard a tinge of jealousy in Granny's voice.

Tokugawa cleared his throat and took off his cloak. He looked off to the side as if recalling a long lost memory. "When I was much younger, around Haku's age in fact, I was only a small brook. As far as humans are concerned, it would probably be the equivalent of 400 years ago. In those old days, I fell in love with a young human woman. Kazuko was a beautiful lady. She was the daughter of a samurai who controlled a village not too far from here. We met one morning when she was praying along my river. The moment I saw her, it was, as humans say, love at first sight. I took her to the Spirit World on a few occasions. That's where we were married." He said, smiling as he remembered the wonderful event.

"We were married for several years, all of which were perfect in every way. We had a baby girl, Fumiko. Kazuko, Fumiko and I had a quiet life together. I posed as a human when I spent time here, like I'm doing now, so none of the other humans ever suspected anything. But this nation was filled with unrest. Various human clans and tribes were always attacking each other, slaughtering innocents and committing brutal atrocities." Now Tokugawa's face began to darken. This story was not going to end well.

"One day I was going to visit my brother. I was going to take Kazuko and Fumiko, but they decided to stay behind. My wife told me to go ahead and that she would bring Fumiko to my brother's home after she finished running errands. Both of them stayed at our home here in the human world. What none of us knew was that a rival village clan was about to attack. I never should have left them alone…" Tokugawa's voice began to shake. His eyes began welling.

"By the time my brother and I had received news of the attack, it was already too late. The entire village was massacred, except for one survivor. Kazuko died while saving Fumiko. My brother and I arrived as soon as we could get here. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but Kazuko must have seen or heard the soldiers coming and acted quickly. She put Fumiko in a small cave on the bank of my river, behind our house, but there was only room for Fumiko. We found her, and my brother and I raised Fumiko, and she eventually married a samurai. We were so happy for her. Of course I was close to her, and her children, but over the many human generations I lost track of most of her descendants. I let my work with my river get in the way. When I took the time to look into your soul Chihiro, I saw our family spirit within you. I never told anyone about them until now. It hurt too much to remember." Tokugawa said, his voice choking. Clearly Zaneba was not the only one with a difficult past. Living such long life had the drawback of becoming potentially more complicated!

Chihiro was in tears, and Granny had her face buried in her handkerchief. "Oh my friend, I never knew. What a horrible burden you've had to carry. I'm so sorry." Granny gasped.

"Please don't be too sad. My wife wouldn't have wanted you to be. She died as she lived, unselfishly putting those she loved ahead of herself. Many spirits don't always remember the good side of humanity, but I always will." Tokugawa whispered, composing himself. "Besides, it's all better now. I found you, Chihiro. I have a part of my family back again."

Chihiro buried her head in Tokugawa's arms. She had never known any of her grandparents. She found a grandmother in Zaneba, and now a grandfather in Tokugawa. Having more family to know she could rely on made it easier for her to accept the changes that she was undergoing. After a long embrace, Tokugawa stood up.

"Come now Chihiro. We've got work to do." He said, taking her hand.

"I don't understand." Chihiro said, standing up.

Tokugawa looked at her lovingly, and then turned to Zaneba, who nodded her approval to whatever it was that he was about to do. Tokugawa then pulled a silver seal, much like Zaneba's golden one, out of his cloak. "We're going to see just what kind of powers you really possess."


End file.
